How did El Cid take Valencia in 1094?
El Cid takes Valencia
El Cid conquista Valencia
17 June 1094. Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, a Castilian knight born near Burgos, was exiled by King Alfonso VI and for several years fought for the Muslim king of Zaragoza, which…
Where: Spain, Valencia
What happened
Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, a Castilian knight born near Burgos, was exiled by King Alfonso VI and for several years fought for the Muslim king of Zaragoza, which was not unusual in an age when Christians and Muslims often allied across the line. After a long siege he took Valencia, which surrendered on 17 June 1094, and ruled it as his own until his death in 1099; his widow Jimena held it until 1102. His name, Cid, comes from the Arabic sidi, 'my lord'. The epic poem Cantar de mio Cid, written down around 1200 (the exact date is debated), made him a national hero.
Say it
Cid viene de una palabra árabe que significa «señor».
Cid comes from an Arabic word that means 'lord'.
Why it matters
The real Cid shows how blurred the frontier was; the poem about him is the first great work of Castilian literature, which is why every Spanish learner meets his name.
Read about it
Connected
- The 'Reconquista': a contested idea (c. 718–1492)
- Alfonso VI takes Toledo (25 May 1085)
- The Cantar de mio Cid (between 1140 and 1207)
- The Cantar de mio Cid (between 1140 and 1207)
- Before: Alfonso VI takes Toledo
- After: The Cantar de mio Cid
Sources
- The Cid: history — Consorcio Camino del Cid
- Reconquista — World History Encyclopedia